AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS' OFFICE OF ADVOCACY AND ASSISTANCE.

HB 6441 requires Connecticut's Department of Veterans Affairs to establish an Office of Advocacy and Assistance with specific staffing and training requirements. The office must employ at least 19 staff (including 14 veterans' service officers who must be veterans or honorably discharged veterans), with at least two officers having bilingual English-Spanish proficiency and one focused on women veterans' needs. The bill mandates annual training for staff and municipal veterans representatives on veterans' benefits, outreach planning to connect veterans with services, and quarterly reporting to the Department's Board of Trustees on veterans' concerns and petitions. This bill directly affects veterans, their spouses, dependents, and municipal veterans' service providers by strengthening support systems for accessing benefits.